On this page
Updated . Example details checked against Scribner catalog, ISBN 9781501144318.
The Chicago format
Pattern
Last name, First name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publisher, Year.
- Note: Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep (Scribner, 2017), 112. The publisher and year sit in parentheses.
- Short note: last name, the main title (up to four words), page.
- Place of publication is optional in Chicago 18; Format leaves it out, as the Manual now allows.
- Edition after the title: 2nd ed.
A real example
Bibliography entry
Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.
First footnote
Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (Scribner, 2017), 112.
Later footnotes
Walker, Why We Sleep, 112.
When details are missing
- Editor instead of author: Last name, First, ed. in the bibliography; “ed.” after the name in the note.
- No author: start with the title.
- No date: n.d. in place of the year.
A second edition
Bibliography entry
Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. 2nd ed. Scribner, 2017.
First footnote
Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, 2nd ed. (Scribner, 2017), 150–52.
Later footnotes
Walker, Why We Sleep, 150–52.
Common mistakes
- Page numbers in the bibliography. Only articles and chapters show a range there; a whole book has none.
- Ibid. everywhere. Chicago 18 prefers the short note: Walker, Why We Sleep, 113.
Or let Format do it.
Type or paste the ISBN and Format fetches the author, title, publisher and year from Open Library. Format writes the notes and bibliography in Chicago, exactly as shown above, and builds the bibliography page when you export to Word or PDF. Chicago is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Is the place of publication still required?
No. Chicago 18 makes it optional. If your instructor wants it, add the city before the publisher: New York: Scribner, 2017.
How does a book look in author-date?
Walker, Matthew. 2017. Why We Sleep. Scribner. In the text: (Walker 2017, 112).
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Chicago
Every source kind is on the Chicago page, and every style is on How to cite.